Vaken yawned deeply, laying comfortably beneath one of the many trees. He looked happy, but a little tired. His fur was tangled and his legs were sprawled out on the forest floor. He looked oddly content in his placement. His mouth hung open while he panted, enjoying the warm weather. He had been hoping to find more wildlife here, find some food. His hunting endeavours had been only mildly successful, and it was showing on his body. His bones weren’t jutting out, but the outline of them was there. Only where his fur was the longest did he look well-fed and plump, and that was only an illusion. Already small in stature, his failed hunting missions made him look even more thin and frail. He grunted softly, wondering if he should try to hunt again before dusk.  

He wasn’t starving, just mildly hungry. He had found an old rabbit carcass a few miles away, and the proof was there. Dried blood stuck on the fur beneath his mouth and along his throat. It made him look a little more intimidating. He lapped at it with his tongue desperately trying to taste the remnants. All he could taste was dirt, but it didn’t stop him. He wanted to taste fresh meat. Picking at leftover bones and fur was unsatisfying and truthfully disheartening. His eyes were narrowed in concentration, deep in thought. The smells were overwhelming, hard to differentiate. He was vaguely worried about some scents: fresh wolf, coyote, other predators? He sighed. It was too late to leave the area. Who knows what he’d be walking into. He felt it was safest here, despite how strong the possibilities were of danger. He would sleep the night away under the tree.

He pressed his head between his paws in denial, completely relaxing. He was staying put. If he needed to, he could out run whatever was coming his way, hopefully. Maybe he’d only take a short nap and move out at night somewhere where the smell of wolf and coyote wasn’t so strong.

The smell of the approaching wolf hit Vaken like a brick wall. His eyes narrowed instantly and his fur raised. He didn’t growl, but the fear quickly turned into adrenaline. His body moved quickly in an upright position. His paws slid underneath him to stand and his back straightened out. All signs of his fatigue vanished. He was in a dangerous situation. He hadn’t experienced too many wolves in the area, and seeing this one scared him. This wolf was a bit taller than him, and quite a bit larger in frame. Vaken thought about it for a moment, questioning his own fighting skills. Could he take on a wolf slightly bigger than him? His eyes lightened in consideration, but then he scoffed at himself. He knew that it was a stupid thing to even consider. Even a small wound could mean life or death to him without the resources of a pack. He was brave, but not stupid.

He consciously tried to drop all signs of aggressive. It wasn’t worth the risk. His tail lowered slightly and he attempted to relax his fur. He didn’t want to egg on any rough housing. When the wolf spoke, Vaken completely withdrew any signs of hostility. The sound of the wolf’s voice was comforting. Surely if the male was trying to warn him of danger, he wasn’t a physical threat. He nodded slightly and let the words register. His shoulders lowered and he licked his chin once more.

Coyotes. Yes, he had smelt them in the distance. He took another inhale of breath instinctively, realizing the smell was heavier than before. He hadn’t noticed it over the other wolf’s scent. He didn’t think much of it, shifting his weight until he was comfortable. The stranger had his full attention. "Yes," he said carefully. “I’ve smelt them around." His voice was confident and hard, but he was being polite. There was no bite to his words. He was alert, but trying not to appear menacing.  

He took another breath, and this one made his fur bristle again. The smell was definitely closer now. The adrenaline had returned, but rather than be targeted at the stranger, it was targeted behind the stranger where two pairs of eyes had appeared. "Didn’t have a problem with them until you came around," he noted with light humor, jerking his head forward to point them out. He tried to hide his fear this time, but lowered his head in warning to the approaching coyotes. They must have heard them talking and come over to inquire.

He let out a warning bark. When the coyotes kept their pace forward he growled and yipped again. Normally that was enough to warn them away. He had experienced coyotes before, but they were normally not this aggressive. Vaken counted two of them stalking forward. He didn’t like those numbers. Two wolves versus two coyotes would be risking it, and Vaken wanted to avoid danger at all costs. He raised his voice, letting out a bunch of growls and howls to alert the coyotes that he meant business. If Vaken was bigger, or there was another wolf, Vaken would have been more confident in his ability to scare them off. With only the two of them, the coyotes posed too big of a threat.

There were too many surprises for Vaken’s liking. The small male didn’t know where to direct his eyes as the new stranger approached, rotating from the coyotes to the two pack members. He watched from his peripheral vision how the younger wolf reacted to the dark brown male. They clearly were familiar with each other. He jolted his cold stare back on the coyotes. Of course they were familiar, they smelt the same. They were from the same pack. Connecting those puzzle pieces didn’t give him any satisfaction. With the threat closing in, he didn’t have time to read the body language of either wolf too extensively. He didn’t even get a good look at the muscular new form. He was too afraid to even break eye contact from the coyotes for a second.

His ears flattened more against his head as he stuck his neck out. He was too busy snarling to speak, clearly ill rehearsed in politeness. He didn’t like danger, and he was in a lot of it. Saliva dripped off his glistening fangs, his pupils dilated and his body tightening each muscle.

He knew he should run. He was quick, and with any luck the coyotes would be too distracted with the other two to follow.  This was a lot of action in a small amount of time for the loner, and when the going gets tough. He felt his legs twitching to run, the muscles vibrating beneath his thick fur. Keeping himself safe was his only drive. He wasn’t pack. He had no obligation to stick around and befriend these two wolves. Regardless, he felt it was in his best interest to stay put and make possible allies.

Three against two.

Vaken dug his claws into the ground. He knew what those words meant: fight. He didn’t question his own capabilities. He wasn’t muscular, or even well-fed, but he was another body and that’s all they needed. He was quick and had a sharp pair of teeth. He grunted between his growls, clearly in agreement. Instinctively, he flashed his gaze over to the newest stranger. That’s when he saw just how bulky he was. Vaken’s growls stopped instantly while his eyes followed the trail of scars to his grey eyes and muscular back. He should have known from his voice how strong he was. He had to force his gaze away and back on the coyotes, but he wasn’t growling nearly as desperately. "I’m surprised they’re still even coming at us,” he stated calmly, cracking a small smirk. "I know I’m not too much to look at, but hell- this guy?

He let his smirk turn back into a growl when he heard how close the coyotes had become.

When Sachiel pounced, Vaken adjusted his attention to the coyote on the left of Reyes. He wasn’t strong, but a single coyote wasn’t too large of a target- not if he was quick. He opened his mouth and closed it on the soft flesh on the vermin’s side, letting out a deep growl. He didn’t need to kill the creature, he just had to scare it. He nipped at its legs and gave it a heavy push with his body. When the coyote tried to bite back, Vaken danced out of grasp.

He normally avoided physical confrontation. It usually wasn’t safe to risk injury. He trusted these wolves to help him though, and that kept him fighting. When Vaken shoved the coyote again, it seemed to get the message. It hesitated, then looked between Sachiel and Reyes, realizing it didn’t stand a chance. Before Vaken could say anything, it sprinted off into the woods. He smiled proudly, puffing his chest a little more to brag about his success. “I might have to take a rain check on that free meal,” he admitted.

Vaken mimicked the body language of Sachiel. It was clear now that Reyes was the dominant wolf, so he bowed his head respectfully in his direction before standing straight. “I’m heading south. I’m trying not to make too many stops.” He hated to turn it down, but he wanted to get some more distance before nightfall.